ly here, whether a larger and less
local colonial development might really transfer the bulk of Israel
to a more independent basis, as simply to demand that Jews shall
continue to control other nations as well as their own. It might be
worth while for England to take risks to settle the Jewish problem;
but not to take risks merely to unsettle the Arab problem,
and leave the Jewish problem unsolved.

For the rest, there must under the circumstances be only too
many mistakes; the historical conjectures, for they can be no more,
are founded on authorities sufficiently recognised for me to be permitted
to trust them; but I have never pretended to the knowledge necessary
to check them. I am aware that there are many disputed points;
as for instance the connection of Gerard, the fiery Templar,
with the English town of Bideford. I am also aware that some are
sensitive about the spelling of words; and the very proof-readers
will sometimes revolt and turn Mahomet into Mohammed.
Upon this point, however, I am unrepentant; for I never could see
the point of altering a form with historic and even heroic fame in our
own language, for the sake of reproducing by an arrangement of our
letters something that is really written in quite different letters,
and probably pronounced with quite a different accent. In speaking
of the great prophet I am therefore resolved to call him Mahomet;
and am prepared, on further provocation, to call him Mahound.

G. K. C.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I THE WAY OF THE CITIES
CHAPTER II THE WAY OF THE DESERT
CHAPTER III THE GATES OF THE CITY
CHAPTER IV THE PHILOSOPHY OF SIGHT-SEEING
CHAPTER V THE STREETS OF THE CITY
CHAPTER VI THE GROUPS OF THE CITY
CHAPTER VII THE SHADOW OF THE PROBLEM
CHAPTER VIII THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DESERT
CHAPTER IX THE BATTLE WITH THE DRAGON
CHAPTER X THE ENDLESS EMPIRE
CHAPTER XI THE MEANING OF THE CRUSADE
CHAPTER XII THE FALL OF CHIVALRY
CHAPTER XIII THE PROBLEM OF ZIONISM
CONCLUSION

CHAPTER I

THE WAY OF THE CITIES

It was in the season of Christmas that I came out of my little garden
in that "field of the beeches" between the Chilterns and the Thames,
and began to walk backwards through history to the place from which
Christmas came. For it is often necessary to walk backwards, as a man
on the wrong road goes back to a sign-post to find the right road.
The modern man is more like a traveller wh